System for managing risk in employee travel

Abstract

A system for managing risk in employee travel may track a location of users of the travel risk management system during travel. Travel itinerary information for a user may be input into the travel risk management system, including user identification information, travel date information and geographic location information for travel destinations. During the travel period, the system may communicate with a portable computing device to determine the user's actual location, and update the stored travel itinerary information if the user's actual location is different than the user's expected location. The system may transmit a location request message to the user's portable computing device, or a mobile application may cause the portable computing device to transmit the user's location without prompting.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method for tracking a location of users of a travel risk management system during travel and notifying the users of travel risk, the method comprising the travel risk management system performing steps of:
 storing input travel itinerary information for a user of the travel risk management system in a user travel database of the system, wherein the travel itinerary information includes user identification information, travel date information for the time period in which the user is traveling, and geographic location information for at least one destination of the user during the travel time period; 
 transmitting a location request message from an application server of the travel risk management system to a portable computing device of the user, when a current time is within the time period of the travel itinerary information in which the user is traveling; 
 receiving a location response message from the user's portable computing device at the application server, wherein information in the location response message includes the actual location of the user; 
 comparing the actual location of the user, as determined by receiving a location response message from the user's portable computing device at the application server, to an expected location of the user determined based on the stored travel itinerary information; 
 determining whether the actual location of the user is different than the expected location of the user from the travel itinerary information by comparing the actual location of the user to an expected location of the user determined based on the stored travel itinerary information; 
 updating the travel itinerary information with the actual location of the user in response to determining that the actual location of the user is different than the expected location of the user from the travel itinerary information; 
 storing on the system travel related information and travel risk information for a plurality of countries, the travel risk information including a current risk rating and a risk trend for each country; 
 providing a graphical interface to the user comprising a home page that provides access to the travel related information and the travel risk information; 
 determining an occurrence of a risk management event and a geographic location of the event; 
 determining by a risk management response routine whether the user is within an affected location of the event; and 
 transmitting by the risk management response routine a notification message to the user if the user is within the affected location of the event. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein inputting travel itinerary information comprises entering travel itinerary information at a computing device of the travel risk management system. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein inputting travel itinerary information comprises:
 receiving travel itinerary information electronically at an application server of the travel risk management system from a source external to the travel risk management system; and 
 inputting the travel itinerary information from the external source into the user travel database. 
 
     
     
       4. A method for determining an actual location of a user of a travel risk management system and notifying the user of travel risk, the method comprising the travel risk management system performing steps of:
 storing travel itinerary information for a user of the travel risk management system in a user location database of the travel risk management system, wherein the travel itinerary information includes user identification information, travel date information for the time period in which the user is traveling, and geographic location information for at least one destination of the user during the travel time period; 
 transmitting a location request message from an application server of the travel risk management system to a portable computing device of the user, when a current time is within the time period of the travel itinerary information in which the user is traveling; 
 receiving a location response message from the user's portable computing device at the application server, wherein the location response message contains user identification information and the actual location of the user; 
 comparing the actual location of the user, as determined by receiving a location response message from the user's portable computing device at the application server, to an expected location of the user determined based on the stored travel itinerary information; 
 determining whether the actual location of the user is different than the expected location of the user from the travel itinerary information by comparing the actual location of the user to an expected location of the user determined based on the stored travel itinerary information; 
 updating the stored travel itinerary information with the actual location of the user in response to determining that the actual location of the user is different than the expected location of the user from the travel itinerary information; 
 storing on the system travel related information and travel risk information for a plurality of countries, the travel risk information including a current risk rating and a risk trend for each country; 
 providing a graphical interface to the user comprising a home page that provides access to the travel related information and the travel risk information; 
 determining an occurrence of a risk management event and a geographic location of the event; 
 determining by a risk management response routine whether the user is within an affected location of the event; and 
 transmitting by the risk management response routine a notification message to the user if the user is within the affected location of the event. 
 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 4 , wherein transmitting the location request message comprises transmitting the location request message to the user's portable computing device at periodic, scheduled intervals. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 4 , wherein each country is assigned a risk level value, and wherein updating the user location comprises:
 determining a country in which the user is located based on the actual location of the user from the location response message; 
 determining whether the assigned risk level value for the country in which the user is located is a high risk level value; and 
 updating the user location of the user stored in the user location database with the actual location of the user from the location response message in response to determining that the assigned risk level value for the country in which the user is located is a high risk level value. 
 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 6 , wherein updating the user location comprises:
 determining a country in which the user is located based on the user location of the user stored in the user location database; 
 determining whether the assigned risk level value for the country determined based on the stored user location is a high risk level value; and 
 updating the user location of the user stored in the user location database with the actual location of the user from the location response message in response to determining that the assigned risk level value for the country in which the user is located is not a high risk level value and that the assigned risk level value for the country based on the stored user location is a high risk value. 
 
     
     
       8. A non-transitory computer readable medium with computer executable instructions for a portable computing device application of a travel risk management system, wherein a portable computing device on which the portable computing device application may be installed includes an input device and a memory, the computer executable instructions, when executed, causing the portable computing device to perform steps of:
 receiving user activation information input at the input device of the portable computing device, wherein the user activation information includes user identification information and an activation code; 
 storing the user activation information in the memory of the portable computing device; 
 determining a current location of the portable computing device in response to the occurrence of a triggering event at the portable computing device; 
 formatting a current location message containing the user identification information and the current location of the portable computing device; 
 transmitting the location message from the portable computing device to an application server of the travel risk management system, when a current time is within the time period of the travel itinerary information in which the user is traveling, wherein the application server stores the travel itinerary information, which includes user identification information, travel date information for the time period in which the user is traveling, and geographic location information for at least one destination of the user during the travel time period; 
 comparing the actual location of the user, as determined by receiving a current location message from the user's portable computing device at the application server, to an expected location of the user determined based on the travel itinerary information stored on the application server; 
 updating the stored travel itinerary information on the application server with the actual location of the user in response to determining that the actual location of the user is different than the expected location of the user from the travel itinerary information; 
 storing on the portable computing device travel related information and travel risk information for a plurality of countries, the travel risk information including a current risk rating and a risk trend for each country; 
 providing a graphical interface to the user comprising a home page that provides access to the travel related information and the travel risk information; and 
 receiving a notification message from the travel risk management system to the user if the user is within an affected location of a risk management event. 
 
     
     
       9. The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 8 , wherein the triggering event is the elapsing of a predetermined period of time since the previous occurrence of transmitting the location message from the portable computing device to an application server of the travel risk management system, and the computer readable instructions further comprise instructions for determining that the predetermined period of time has elapsed since the previous occurrence of transmitting the location message from the portable computing device to the application server. 
     
     
       10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 8 , wherein the triggering event is the start up of the portable computing device application on the device, and the computer readable instructions further comprise instruction for detecting the start up of the portable computing device application. 
     
     
       11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 8 , wherein the triggering event is the start up of the portable computing device, and the computer readable instructions further comprise instructions for detecting the start up of the portable computing device. 
     
     
       12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 8 , wherein the triggering event is the receipt of a location request message from the application server of the travel risk management system, and the computer readable instructions further comprise instructions for detecting the receipt of the location request message from the application server. 
     
     
       13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 8 , further comprising instructions for:
 receiving travel itinerary information input at the input device of the portable computing device, wherein the travel itinerary information includes travel date information for the time period in which the user is traveling, and geographic location information for at least one destination of the user during the travel time period; and 
 storing the travel itinerary information in the memory of the portable computing device. 
 
     
     
       14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 13 , wherein the triggering event is a current time being within the time period of the travel itinerary information in which the user is traveling, and the computer readable instructions further comprise instructions for determining that the current time is within the time period of the travel itinerary information in which the user is traveling. 
     
     
       15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 8 , wherein each country is assigned a risk level value, wherein the triggering event is the user being located within a country having an assigned risk level that is a high risk level value, and wherein the computer readable instructions further comprise instructions for:
 determining a country in which the user is located based on the actual location of the user; 
 determining whether the assigned risk level value for the country in which the user is located is a high risk level value; and 
 transmitting the location message from the portable computing device to the application server in response to determining that the assigned risk level value for the country in which the user is located is a high risk level value. 
 
     
     
       16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 15 , further comprising instructions for
 storing the assigned risk level values for the countries in the memory of the portable computing device; and 
 retrieving the assigned risk level value for the country in which the user is located for use in determining whether the assigned risk level value is a high risk level value.